Living and working in Paris means that I have been trying more and more to enjoy this beautiful city as any other native Parisian would. On my hour long lunch breaks (it’s essential that the French have time to sit down at a café) I take my lunch to Place René Cassin and sit amongst other working men and women to admire Eglise Saint Eustache and the Bourse de Commerce. Not only does it make me feel like a serious grown up, it also makes me feel very French as I sit there pretending to scoff at silly tourists and their wacky poses in front of this statue.
Place René Cassin and the Bourse de Commerce
In my hunt to find more Parisian things to do, I asked a young girl I work with what her plans were so as to try and copy gauge the types of things young French people do in their spare time. After telling me she likes to go running at the park near her house on the weekends, I was intrigued and decided to go for a run call some friends and plan a picnic for the next day. So on a hot but gorgeous Saturday afternoon, my friends Alexa and Candice and I ventured off into the 19e arrondissement to explore the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont.
In finding this park, we also found hundreds of other Parisians and concluded that they must all flock to their nearest jardin every summer weekend. (After spending the day today walking over to the Place de la Concorde and along the Champs Elysées, I am now positive they head to greener areas on Saturdays and Sundays considering that the only people I saw today were tourists.)
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
Now, if Parisians support long lunches throughout the week, you’d better believe they take their weekend lunches ten times more seriously. Canoodling couples and parties of forty friends alike came out in droves to picnic, sip lots and lots of wine and champagne, sunbathe and “watch” their kids play. We even saw two wedding parties taking photos! After eating our lunches and walking around a bit, we eventually sat on a bench, and like true Parisians, did some serious people watching. The scene was relaxing and playful. Young kids racing their Razor scooters…those are still trendy here…runners with very short shorts, and a woman casually wearing a thong on the outside of her pants. We still aren’t sure, but sincerely hope, that it was a joke.
Parisians at the Park
After our little escape, we decided to head back into the real world for dinner in the Place des Vosges – a leisurely meal to cap off a leisurely day and one of the best Saturdays I’ve had in awhile. I definitely have plans to visit more parcs and jardins like the Bois de Boulogne and the Jardin des Plantes over the next few weekends.
